Effects of cooperative learning on preservice elementary teachers' interest in and integration of music into core academic subjects

The author investigated the effects of a cooperative learning environment on the implementation of integrating music into core academic subjects. Using a quasi-experimental design, participants (N = 59) were preservice generalist elementary and special education majors from four course sections of a required music methods course, where two course sections worked in a cooperative learning environment and two course sections worked individually. For six weeks, participants worked on a final project that integrated music into academic core subject lessons. At the conclusion of six weeks, each participant individually microtaught one lesson created from the music integration project. Additionally, participants completed an interest survey after the study was concluded. Results showed that participants in the cooperative learning group scored statistically significantly higher (p < .05) on the music integration project, microteaching evaluations, and rated statistically significantly higher interest on their projects from the student interest survey. These results suggest that participants in the cooperative learning group produced work of a higher quality than participants in the control group and that the cooperative learning group also showed a higher level of interest in their own music integration projects.